On January 18th, I posted a blog called “Walkin’ the Walk” about country singer Jimmy Wayne’s walk from Monroe Harding in Nashville, TN to HomeBase Youth Services Phoenix, AZ to bring awareness to the homeless teens who have aged out of the foster care system. (Click the link below to read “Walkin the Walk”). I wanted to write a little more about a couple of things. Something I failed to mention back in January, and I didn’t want to let it slip by this time, is that the country music news blog Got Country? Is donating 10 cents for every mile Jimmy walks! For more info, to make a donation yourself, or to get the niftiest country music news, check out Got Country?
In “Walkin’ the Walk”, I mentioned a fundraising project called “Helping Jimmy Wayne Make A Change with Loose Change" (aka LooseChange) Project” that really deserved much more than a “mention” and I apologize for that. The reason being is that it’s proof that a little can accomplish a lot. LooseChange was started by Jimmy Wayne fan Teresa (she’s a blast…follow her on twitter at www.twitter.com/texaslovesya) where fans (or anyone) collects the loose change you find in parking lots, couch cushions, the bottom of an old purse, etc and donate it to HomeBase Youth Services through their website. This was inspired mainly by a picture of some jewelry & change that Jimmy posted over the summer of some things he had found while “treasure hunting” in a parking lot before a show. Teresa said “At the time I thought that was odd, but then I remembered his upbringing and how that was probably a habit he has always had :) “. To launch the program, the online country radio station (who has also been known to spin a little KC & the Sunshine band) Nixa Country had Rachel, a representative from HBYS, on to explain more about the program and how a little bit can go a long way.
Think about when you checkout at a convenience store. You hand the cashier a $5 bill for something that’s $4 & change. Where are these coins going end up? In your pocket? The cup holder in your car? The nightstand by your bed? Your washing machine? That handful of change can truly change the life of a teenager. As of 22-March-2010 the LooseChange has raised $531.81. That may not sound like a lot, but according to Rachel from HBYS, $1 is enough to feed a homeless teen a meal....so what may seem on the surface like a drop in the bucket, can actually provide 531 meals!
As a longtime fan of Jimmy’s and a supporter of his MMH project, I want to thank Teresa for coming up with the Loose Change Project months ago. It’s one of those things that when you hear about it you think to yourself, “Why didn’t I think about that.“ I also wanna send a big thanks out to Nixa Country & Val Jean for all of their hard work in promoting not just Jimmy as an artist, but MMH & especially the Loose Change Project. Their support, starting with Day 1 of the walk, has been nothing short of amazing. Something as “small” as mentioning Jimmy’s mission when they play his songs to something as unifying as Val Jean leading an online group prayer/20 seconds of silence twice a day for Jimmy’s safety. They’ve gone so far as to establish a page on their station site exclusively to support MMH and the Loose Change Project. For obvious reasons, I don’t think it would be possible for a “mainstream” radio station to go as far as they have for an artist or a project that artist is a part of. Unlike typical radio stations that are located in a town and serve a specific area/community, Nixa is a totally net based station that can reach country music fans all over the US and potentially worldwide. Imagine the impact that could have?
I’m posting a series of links below in case you need more information on Meet Me Halfway, the Loose Change Project or how you can get involved. To keep up to date on everything MMH/LooseChange, you can follow Jimmy on Twitter, listen to Nixa Country, check in on one of the official pages or check out Got Country?
* Jimmy Wayne: http://www.jimmywayne.com/
* Jimmy Wayne on Twitter: http://twitter.com/JimmyWayne
* Meet Me Halfway: http://meetmehalfway.jimmywayne.com/
* Project MMH: http://projectmmh.org/
* HomeBase Youth Services: http://www.hbys.org/ (go to Donate tab, then Donate Online, then where amount section is, you can drop down to "Loose Change" to make a donation – no amount is too small!)
* Got Country? http://gotcountry.blogspot.com/
* Nixa Country: www.nixacountry.com/meetmehalfway.html
* “Walkin The Walk” blog: http://brandibelle-big-girl-blog.blogspot.com/2010/01/walkin-walk.html
